imitate

/ˈɪmɪteɪt/

//ˈɪmɪteɪt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"imitate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“imitate” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,863. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,863
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-imitate · imitate · English

imitate · rank #19,863 · 9 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,863
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH iggy

Nearest frequency peer: iggy (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “imitate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “imitate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

imitate vs initiate
75% similar
imitate vs irritate
75% similar
imitate vs imitated
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for imitate
PropertyValue
Headwordimitate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɪmɪteɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,863
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “imitate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).imitatelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “iggy” (#19,862), “IDF” (#19,861), “improbable” (#19,865). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “imitate” is #19,863. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around imitate (IPA /ˈɪmɪteɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,863 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for imitate, with forms such as "iimtate", "imiatte", and "imitaet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "initiate", "irritate", "imitated", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin imitātus, perfect active participle of imitor (“to copy, portray, imitate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French imiter. The correct English form is imitate, spelled I-M-I-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how imitate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Another bird quickly learned to imitate the song of a canary that was mated with it, but as the parrakeet improved in the performance the canary degenerated, and came at last to mingle the other bird's harsh chitterings with its own proper music.
  2. The room was dark and cool, lit with a dim red light. “This was designed to imitate a cave,” said Rosas.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin imitātus, perfect active participle of imitor (“to copy, portray, imitate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French imiter.

Synonyms

apeimitatemimicsimulatecopydittoechoemulateparallelmatchmimemirrormockreproduce

Antonyms

createinnovate

This word in other languages

imitar(Español)imiter(Français)imitieren(Deutsch)imitar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iimtate
  • imiatte
  • imitaet
  • imitatte
  • imittae
  • imittate
  • immitate
  • imtiate
  • miitate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imitate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

iimtate2imiatte2imitaet2imitatte1imittae2imittate1immitate1imtiate2
Edit distance from "imitate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "imitate"?
"imitate" is spelled I-M-I-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪmɪteɪt/.
What does "imitate" mean?
As a verb, "imitate" means: To follow as a model or a pattern; to make a copy, counterpart or semblance of.
What words are commonly confused with "imitate"?
"imitate" is commonly confused with "initiate", "irritate", "imitated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "imitate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "imitate" is /ˈɪmɪteɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "imitate"?
Borrowed from Latin imitātus, perfect active participle of imitor (“to copy, portray, imitate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French imiter. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "imitate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Godfrey#19,847keyword#19,879Kolkata#19,880freezes#19,845

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Hermes9 variantshangar9 variantsgreats9 variantskelvin9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list